


seven dozen roses

by Brizeeb00



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Ben drops millions on a first date, F/M, IT Tech!Rey, Journalist!Ben, Newspapers, Office Romance, Valentine's Day, rey owns one (1) dress, reylovalentines2019
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-24
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2019-10-27 20:17:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17773556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brizeeb00/pseuds/Brizeeb00
Summary: Rey and Ben are both single and cynical this Valentine's Day. To avoid being set up on blind dates, they come up with a plan. In the seven days before valentines day, they'll pretend to be together, go on some fake dates, and prove to everyone they know that Valentines Day is just another day......Isn't it?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [murakamism](https://archiveofourown.org/users/murakamism/gifts).



> Valentines Fic for murakamism. The original prompt was: Rey and Ben are both single and cynical this Valentine's Day. To see what the fuss is all about, they go on some fake dates (revenge towards annoying PDA couples) and maybe also bang, because what else are friends (ha) for, right?
> 
> I'm sorry I'm posting this waaayyy past valentines day! LIfe kind of got in the way, but I will be updating as I finish each chapter
> 
> I used your prompt as the bones for this and kind of went a little wild. I hope you like it!

**February 8th**

Red paper hearts lined the walls of the newspaper office where Rey worked. Valentines Day. It was just another excuse for women to make absolute fools of themselves to get the attention of a man who wouldn't give them the time of day otherwise and a way for candy companies to have massive sales and sell their product at over-inflated prices. She walked from her desk in the IT office to the breakroom, glowering at every construction paper heart that she passed. Valentines Day was a week away but everyone was getting into the swing of things now. If Rey had a dollar for every one of her co-workers that got flowers delivered to their cubicle, she could quit being an IT desk jockey for the newspaper and start her own business.

As she entered the breakroom, she groaned. It was even worse in here then it was out in the hall. Heart shaped streamers hung from the break room ceiling and red and pink tablecloths lined the two tables that were on either end of the room. Rolling her eyes, she made her way towards the coffee pot and opened the cabinet.

“Seriously?” her exclamation rang through the empty room, the echoes making it sound louder than she intended. She pulled a disposable coffee cup from its place in the cupboard. Instead of the white styrofoam that was the norm for the office, these were thick pink paper cups with red hearts winding around the rim. Disgusted, she slammed the cup down on the counter and began pouring the black liquid into it.

“Not fond of Valentine's Day?” A voice behind her asked, making her jump and spill coffee on the counter. She gasped and turned around, ignoring the coffee that was dripping onto her shoes. Leaning against the doorframe and smiling smugly was Ben Solo, star political reporter of the Millenium Times and the owner's son. He was also the only man in the entire office who made Rey’s knees weak, but she’d never let him know that.

She had fixed his computer millions of times, he had this habit of damaging his computer’s motherboard to a point where a new one had to be ordered. He had gone through five motherboards in the past year and Rey had suggested that maybe he go back to doing his work on a typewriter and save any future technology from the wrath of his touch.

She gave him a nervous laugh and turned back towards the counter, grabbing a wad of paper towels and sopping up the mess she made.

“Um, not really no.” She heard his footsteps coming towards her as she wiped up the last of the coffee. The next thing she knew, Ben Solo was standing next to her at the break room counter, watching her clean up with that shit eating smirk plastered across his face. He plucked an apple from the fruit basket that resided next to the sink and leaned against the counter backward as she threw away the last of the paper towel wads she was using. Ben stood there silently as Rey began making a new cup of coffee, shining the apple on his shirt before taking a giant bite out of it.

She cleared her throat to stop the whimper that threatened to come out and glanced over at him as he chewed, the shininess of the fruit juice lingering on his lips and chin. As she stirred her coffee, she gripped the side of the counter tighter. _How can he make something so mundane as eating an apple so erotic?_ She set the spoon she was using to stir her coffee down and turned towards him. He was still watching her, and smirking at her.

“So, Rey, why don’t you like Valentines Day?” He took another bite of his apple and her eyes shot up in surprise. He knew her name. _Of course he knows your name, you have a name badge._ The voice of reason in Rey’s subconscious slapped her upside the head as she glanced down to the lanyard around her neck. It read ‘Rey - IT Department’ accompanied by a horrid picture of her on her first day. She took a sip of her coffee and smiled sheepishly at him.

“I don't _hate_ it. I just think it’s stupid. The idea that we need to have a day dedicated to showing someone how much we love them? If you really love someone you would show that person every day without needing some stupid gimmick like red and pink hearts everywhere to prove your point.” She took another drink of her coffee and looked at him, she could go on and on about what holidays she thought were stupid and why, but she didn’t want him to think she was weird.

“You have a point.” He said, he took one last bite from his apple, tossed the pit in the trash and wiped his hands. “I hate that people think love is inevitable on Valentines Day. Like, that’s bullshit, it’s just another day.” He crossed his arms in that way guys do, with his thumbs protruding from his underarms and looked at her again. She looked down into her coffee cup, it had gone cold already but she didn’t want to dump it, it felt like the only real thing in the room.

She couldn't believe was having this conversation with the boss’s son like it was a normal thing they did every Thursday morning. The same boss’s son who’s ass she talked about at length to her friends when he wore those tan slacks that hugged his backside just right. Rey smiled at him, trying hard to not think of his ass in the middle of a civil conversation.

“Right? My friends are all like that. I’m the only single one of our group and they're constantly trying to set me up on Valentines Day. Every year. Without fail.” She shut her mouth quickly and could feel the blush creeping up her face. Why had she just told him that? Now she was going to seem desperate. He gave a slight wince in response and began rubbing the back of his neck.

“I get the feeling, my mother does the same. Every year she throws a big Valentines party at her house, and every year she tries to not-so-subtly set me up with some debutante or friend of a friend.” He let out a soft frustrated breath and they stood there again in silence. Rey was unsure what to say, she was already amazed at the fact that she had carried on a conversation this long with him without saying something monumentally stupid. He was looking at her, studying her and she could feel the heat rising up her cheeks and her heart skipped in nervousness.

 _I better find an excuse to leave before I say something that puts him off of me forever._ He opened his mouth to speak again when Rey’s pager went off. _Saved by the bell._

“Well,  Ben, it was nice talking to you, I have to, um, go debug something” Rey threw her coffee cup into the garbage and turned towards the door of the breakroom. He remained silent as he watched her walk away from him, at least, Rey hoped he was watching, she was wearing her good pants today. Finally, when she had gotten to the threshold of the break room door, he broke his silence.

“Rey, wait!” She faltered, the irrational part of her brain was playing a scenario in which Ben tells her he’s loved her from afar, but the rational part, the one that always knew better, was saying she probably had toilet paper stuck to her shoe or something and Ben was too nice a person to let her live with that kind of office embarrassment. She turned to face him again, one hand on the doorframe and one at her side. “I have—”  He took a hard, deep breath and ran his hand through his hair. “an idea.”

He just looked at her, he didn't bother to elaborate on whatever this idea was that he was so eager to make her ignore her various pages for.

“Are you going to enlighten me Ben or are you gonna make me guess?” Her tone was meaner than she wanted it to be, but her pager was still going off and if she didn’t answer it soon, Poe would be giving her another lecture on the Importance Of Reliability. Ben sighed and moved towards her until he was beside her at the door.

“Well, I have a problem and you have a problem, and maybe we can be each other's solution.” He was leaning close to her in the doorway, most likely so no one else could hear what he was saying. He smelled like apples and the good kind of body wash that men use.

“Has anyone ever told you how vague you are?” She was not about to get reprimanded for a conversation that was going nowhere. She turned to walk out the breakroom door and away from him, when he grabbed her wrist, pulling her back towards him.

“Just listen. You need to make it seem to your friends that you won’t be dateless this year, I need a date to my mom's party to stave off any blind matchmaking that could ensue.” He was not about to suggest what Rey thought he was going to suggest.

“Let’s pretend to be each other's dates. There's what, seven days until Valentines Day? I’m sure you’re a good enough actor to make everyone think you like me for seven days.” She was being punked. Any second now Ben would double over in laughter and say ‘just kidding’ and Rey would have to fight the urge to punch him in the gut.

“You’ve got to be joking.”

“I’m not.”

“I’m sure there are plenty of women in the Politics department who would love the opportunity to fake date you, so why are you asking me?” Rey was growing impatient, her pager had stopped beeping, which meant Poe had probably called someone else to fix whatever problem he had originally delegated to her, which also meant a lecture was coming.

“All the women in the politics department have boyfriends, and my mother is friends with almost all of them.” Somehow he had ended up in front of her, blocking half of the doorway. He had a pleading look in his eyes, he was searching her face for an answer.

“Also, I like talking to you, Rey. You’re cool.” She closed her eyes, a small smile played on her lips as she considered his proposal. When she opened her eyes again, he was still in front of her and he was still trying to read her expressions, hoping to wage a response from them. Rey sighed. _It could be fun._

“Fine. But I have one condition.” He looked at her, confused

“You have to ask me to be your valentine in the most obnoxious way you can think of. To keep the spirit of the holiday.” Rey crossed her arms and looked up at him and he gave her a breathy laugh.

“Okay.” He smiled at her and she straightened her posture.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I do have a job to get back to.” She started forward to try and go through the door and he moved, giving her passage.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi...  
> I really have nothing to say for myself. This is a valentines day fic and I feel so bad that I'm taking so long to work on it. A combination of work, life, mental health, and writer's block is to blame. I want to say that I'm going to try and get this fic completed very soon, but I don't want to promise anything. 
> 
> I do have the entire fic outlined! It's just the actual _writing_ part that's tricky. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter, I know I enjoyed writing it ~~for almost 4 months~~
> 
> ^_^

**February 9th**

Poe was nowhere to be found after her chat in the breakroom, but he had lectured her the next day as she predicted, his disdain dissipating when she told him that she ran into Ben Solo. Immediately he wanted to know every detail of their conversation, but she couldn't exactly tell him if she was going to successfully avoid getting set up this year.

“We just made small talk, it wasn’t a big deal.” She had told him, and he eyed her suspiciously. 

“Small talk with the boss’s son? Remember us when you get famous, Rey,”  he quipped before turning back to his computer. Poe was in charge of monitoring people’s emails when he wasn't out fulfilling a work order somewhere in the building. 

The IT department was down the hall from the Editorial department, where the political section resided. Every time she went to the breakroom, she found herself looking around for Ben, wondering when he would ask her, and where. Whenever she ventured out of the small safety net that was her department office, she would look over her shoulder, waiting. 

She was excited, don't get her wrong. She hated obnoxious Valentine’s Day gestures and everyone in her office knew that, so she couldn't wait to see their faces when they witnessed her at the center of one.

At lunchtime the next day, Rey decided to eat at her desk. She had passed the editorial department too many times already, and it was time for a break. Maybe he _was_ joking, or maybe he had changed his mind. Sighing, she took a bite of her ham sandwich and looked around at the people in the office. Finn and Rose were seated at his desk, sharing a tupperware full of spaghetti that Rey had made for dinner last night, and Poe was on the phone, no doubt with Hux on the other side, going over their Valentine's Day plans for the millionth time. She took another bite of her sandwich when suddenly the office door opened and all Rey saw was a flurry of red. Seven delivery men, each carrying a vase of roses, walked in a straight line from the door to her desk. Within minutes, she was hidden from her coworkers behind a wall of flower petals. 

She giggled to herself and stood up, revealing her coworkers' shocked faces. It was just as priceless as she imagined, only they weren’t staring at her dumbfoundedly, but rather, their gaze was locked on the figure that was making his way to her desk. Ben was wearing a suit vest and dress pants, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. If her entire department wasn't watching the spectacle on bated breath, she probably would have jumped him right there. As he got closer, her attention traveled from his outfit to what he held in his hands: a giant card. Silently, he held it out to her and winked before turning on his heels and leaving the same way he came. Her coworkers watched him in confusion as he left. 

When the door closed, Rey found herself not only surrounded by flowers but by Rose, Finn, and Poe as well, who had scrambled out of their seats to read what the card said. If only they knew this was all a big fake-out. The card was shaped like a candy heart and the words ‘BE MINE’ were spelled out in red letters. She laughed to herself and opened it. Inside, it said:

 

_A dozen roses for each day until Valentine’s, I hope you’ll be mine._

_Dinner? 7 pm._

_Takodana_

 

“Must have been pretty interesting small talk for Ben Solo to take you to dinner at Takodana.” Poe’s voice rang out behind her as he read the card over her shoulder. He was right, Takodana was the most expensive and prestigious restaurant in the city. Reservations had to be made at least a year in advance. Instead of going, she would probably be spending the night on her couch watching reruns of Special Victims Unit and trying to come up with a story for the next day. Finn spent most of his nights at Rose’s, so she wouldn’t have to worry about him finding out that this was all a lie either. She closed the card and placed it on her desk, then turned towards Poe. 

“Must have been.” She gave him a soft smile and picked up the stack of work orders that were waiting to be copied. “I’m going to go make these copies so we can file them.” Rey turned on her heel and made her way out of the office, entering the hallway and passing the editorial department. She had hoped that she’d run into Ben on her short walk down the hall to the copy room, but it seemed he was nowhere to be found. 

Rey made her copies in silence, ruminating on the events that had just unfolded when a voice from behind her made her jump.

“Was that obnoxious enough for you?” Ben was leaning against the doorframe again, with his hands in his pockets and a smirk on his lips. Rey let out a sigh of relief and turned back to her copies. 

“You have quite a habit of popping up in doorways and scaring people. Did you know that?” 

“I’ve been told.” He pushed himself off the doorframe and moved towards the copy machine, leaning against it backward. He watched her make her copies in silence and Rey got hit with some major deja vu. The only thing that could be heard was the humming of the copy machine and the phones ringing in the cubicles. 

“So, what are your plans tonight? I’m thinking about watching some SVU reruns and ordering Thai from that place on 22nd Street.” She didn’t look up at him, her eyes trained on the work orders in front of her. She saw him shift in her periphery and he cleared his throat. 

“Oh, I thought you would have read the card.” He said softly, crossing his arms.

“I did, but I just figured we’d not and say we did.” Ben shifted again where he stood, looking almost disappointed. 

“I just thought it would be best to keep up appearances, but if you don’t want to go then—”

“No,” Rey said, a bit too quickly. “I mean, what better way to make this more believable.” 

“Great.” He beamed at her. “I’ll see you at seven.” He shoved his hands back into his pockets, leaving the copy room and whistling his way back to his desk. 

 

Rey stared at her closet and sighed. She had rushed home after work, and gone straight to her bedroom. She glanced at the clock; it was already six pm, so she’d have to forgo doing her hair and makeup if she were going to make it in time. The only problem was that she didn’t really have anything fancy enough to wear to a place like Takodana. Her entire wardrobe was business casual and workout gear, and she didn’t exactly have a social life where formal dress was required.

 She frantically rummaged through her closet, pushing shirts and dress pants to the side, hoping something would just magically appear. It didn’t really matter what she wore, and she knew that. This wasn’t a _real_ date, but she still wanted to look nice, she got so few chances to dress up. 

It was six-fifteen now, she’d have to call and cancel. She had just picked up her phone when she noticed a red fabric out of the corner of her eye. It was on the floor of her closet, crumpled up in the corner, it must have come off its hanger when she wasn’t paying attention. 

Slowly, as if she was afraid it would disappear if she got too close, Rey moved toward it, pulling it out from under all the clutter that lined her closet. It was a dress Rose had given her for her birthday last year, claiming that Rey needed to add some variety to her wardrobe. It was a dark red, suede off-the-shoulder dress with a deep V-neck that came down to Rey’s mid-thigh. It wasn’t something Rey ever thought she would wear, but it was the fanciest thing she owned. 

She quickly changed, finding that the dress still fit her after a year, which was surprising but she didn’t have time to stand there and admire its fit. She tugged on the tan heels that she had worn to work and looked in the mirror. She didn’t look bad; her face was slightly flushed from rushing to get dressed, but the mascara and gloss she had put on for work had held up through the day. Normally, if she had had time, she would have done a bit more in the makeup department but it’s not like Ben would care either way.

“Pull your hair down.” Finn's voice came through the room and Rey yelped.

“God, what is it with people showing up in doorways?” She looked back in the mirror, ignoring the slightly confused look on Finn's face, and pulled the buns out of her hair, letting it fall to her shoulders. “What are you doing here? I thought you would be with Rose.” She asked as she brushed her fingers through her hair, smoothing it. Finn made his way towards her and picked up the brush that was resting on her dresser. 

“Rose had to stay late to help Poe update the company servers, so I thought I’d chill here for the night.” It was a good thing this dinner panned out, after all, she didn’t know how she would explain her staying home to Finn. He took the brush and ran it through her hair, patting down any flyaways as he went. When he finished, Rey turned to face him and smiled.

“You’re gonna be late if you don’t go.” He said and she glanced back at her alarm clock. It was six forty-five. She turned and grabbed her purse off the bed before walking out of her bedroom, Finn followed close behind.

“Don’t wait up, don’t forget to lock the door, and don't you dare watch the next episode of The Bachelor without me!” She opened the apartment door and turned, blowing him a kiss before walking out. 

 

Her taxi had hit some traffic on the way to the restaurant and by the time she had gotten to Takodana, she was ten minutes late. She took a deep breath as she walked through the double doors and towards the hostess at the front. She hoped Ben was still here.

“Hi, um, I’m meeting someone here.” The hostess looked up from the book she was writing in, gave Rey a once-over and looked back down at her book. 

“Name?” She said in the most bored voice Rey had ever heard. She cleared her throat and straightened her posture. 

“Er, Ben Solo.” At the sound of his name, the hostess’s head shot up and she immediately broke into a smile, straightening her vest and walking around the podium that she had stood behind.

“Right this way, miss,” She said, her voice smaller and her head down as she led Rey to a table at the front of the restaurant. There, looking out the window and rubbing his palms on his pants, was Ben Solo. Upon noticing her approaching figure in the window’s reflection, he turned his head, and Rey thought his eyes might pop out of their sockets.

His chair made a groaning noise as it slid across the pristine tile floors of the restaurant and he stood there, regarding her. She blushed as she noticed his eyes flit down to her dress and then back up to her face before he cleared his throat.

“You--you look great, Rey.” He stuttered out and she gave him a soft smile in return as she got closer to the table.

“Thanks, Ben. So do you.” As she pulled out her chair to sit, he spoke again.

“Oh, I should have done that for you.” 

“It’s okay Ben, I’m a big girl, I can pull my own chair out.” She smirked at him, before taking her seat. They sat in silence for a moment, until the waitress came over, asking what they wanted to drink. Ben ordered their most expensive bottles of wine before Rey could even stutter out the word “water.” 

When the waitress took her leave, Rey finally broke the silence between them.

“So, how did you get a reservation at the most exclusive restaurant in the city at such short notice?” She finally lifted up the menu to peruse it and almost choked at how pricey everything was. _Seventy dollars for a steak? Did they kill the cow on site?_ She put the menu down and focused her attention back onto Ben, who was not-so-subtly watching her over his menu. 

“The owner is an old family friend.” He said simply, closing his menu and setting it on the table. “I think I’ll have the crab tonight, what are you considering?” Rey pushed images of seventy-dollar, medium-rare steak from her mind and cleared her throat.

“Something small, a salad probably.” She averted her gaze and looked out the window at the sprawling street. It was getting darker, and the lights of the city were starting to come alive. 

“Rey, you can get whatever you want, there's no price limit here. Unless you really want a salad.” Her eyes snapped back at him, ready to protest the fact that he was paying for the whole meal, but he spoke again before she could utter a word. 

“What kind of date would I be if I didn't pay for the first one?” He said, unwrapping the cloth napkin that held his utensils and placing it on his lap. “Also, my mother would never believe this was an actual date if I didn’t pay,” Ben smirked at her and brought his hands to rest on the table as the waitress came back with two bottles of wine. 

“A 1967 Chateau Lafite Bordeaux for the lady,” She explained as she poured the scarlet liquid into her glass. Rey picked it up as soon as the bottle left the rim and took a drink; the taste was tart and rich on her tongue.

“Imported from the finest French vineyards, and retailed at $850 a bottle. Enjoy.” Rey snorted in her glass as the waitress set the bottle on the table. _850 dollars?_ She looked from her glass to Ben and watched as he swirled the glass in his hand, His was a white wine, and was probably just as expensive. There always seemed to be a certain skill set that came with drinking expensive imported wine, and it was a skill set that Rey had, frankly, never bothered to learn. She stared down the rim of her glass at the drink that cost almost what she paid in rent and sighed, taking another sip of it. 

 

Ben ordered first, opting for the King Crab with buttered artichokes and an almond caesar salad. Rey looked over the total cost of his order as he spoke to the waitress, it was abundantly more expensive than the steak she was salivating over, which she ended up ordering anyway. When the waitress left their table, Rey looked at her surroundings, fixing her gaze on the crystal chandelier that decorated the ceiling of the building. She had expected this dinner to go by in silence, seeing as small talk wasn't really her forte and she hadn’t been on a date since she graduated college, so when Ben spoke, she jumped slightly. 

“I think maybe we should set some ground rules, just so we’re on the same page.” She shifted her gaze from the ceiling to the man sitting across from her. Ground Rules. The thought hadn’t even occurred to her, she was still trying to process the entire idea of what they were doing. 

“Right, ground rules.” She was silent again for a moment as she stared at her half-empty wine glass and mulled over possible rules in her head. 

“They can be anything you want since the point is to make both parties feel comfortable. For example, No one can know that this is fake until after Valentine's Day.” He was leaning in closer to the table now as if the entire restaurant would hear him declare the invalidity of their date. Rey let out a breath and reached for her glass, taking a sip of it and locking eyes with him. 

“Okay,” She hesitated for a moment before setting her glass back down and unraveling her flatware from its napkin just as he did before. “I reserve the right to end our agreement at any time without objection.” She smoothed the napkin out on her lap and looked back up at him. His gaze hadn’t moved from her. He was staring at her intently as if he was studying her. 

“That sounds reasonable.” He said finally and he leaned back in his chair, still not taking his eyes off of her. He didn't until the food arrived, which thankfully was minutes later. 

Rey cut into her steak, it was incredibly juicy and the perfect shade of pink. She savored every bite, not knowing when she’d eat such an expensive piece of steak again. They let the silence consume the table once more, with the only sounds coming from Ben cracking open his crab legs. She stole glances at him, at his eyebrows knitted in concentration as he focused on his food, and at the veins in his hands straining as he squeezed the cracking tool.

The loud crack coming from Ben’s side of the table snapped her out of her thoughts, and she cleared her throat and took a gulp of her wine, suddenly feeling hot when he spoke again, his mouth full of crab. 

“How do you feel about kissing?” He had started in on another crab leg and Rey almost choked on the wine she had started chugging without realizing. She brought her napkin up to wipe the red liquid off her chin and placed her glass back in its spot on the table. 

“Kissing?” It came out in a squeaky tone as she cleared her throat. He wanted to kiss her? Or did he mean how did she feel about the act in general? He was focused on his food again but replied without missing a beat. 

“Yes. Kissing. Am I allowed to kiss you to keep up appearances?” He pulled crab meat from its shell and stuck it in his mouth, finally looking back at her. A moment passed when they just looked at each other in silence. She watched him chew as intensely as he stared, butter glazing his lips. 

“Kissing is fine.” She said simply as she started in on her steak.

“Are you absolutely sure? I’m not going to kiss you unless I know you’re okay with it.” Ben was leaning forward again but Rey didn’t look at him, not wanting her blushing cheeks to betray her. She smiled to herself and brought her fork up to her mouth, nodding. 

“Yes, Ben. I’m sure.” She took another bite of steak and he leaned back, relaxing against his chair. The rest of their meal was silent, except for Ben’s attempts at small talk.

 

Ben was going to hail a taxi to take her home, but there was a breeze blowing through the night air, and her apartment was only three blocks from the restaurant, and Rey felt like walking anyway. She got halfway down the block before she heard the sound of Ben running up behind her. They walked silently in the cool New York air, Rey glancing over at the large man walking in step next to her, obviously slowing his normal stride to keep in time with her. His pink ears were peeking out from under his hair, a result of the wind pushing it back. He must have been cold; Rey knew she was, as she had forgotten to bring a jacket with her for fear that she would miss the date completely. She had tried to keep her shivers to a minimum when she felt the warmth of Ben’s jacket wash over her. He hadn’t said anything, just slipped it over her shoulders and put his hands in his pockets, his ears turning a deeper shade of pink. The scent of sandalwood and cinnamon wafted into her nose as they walked. Did he always smell like this? Rey couldn’t recall. 

They only walked for what felt like minutes, but suddenly they were standing at the foot of Rey’s front steps. Ben moved to stand in front of her and they just stood, staring at each other in silence, the wind whipping in their ears. Out of the corner of her eye, Rey saw the shape of Finn’s head peering out from his bedroom window and a small smile spread across her lips. 

“I’d better get inside, my roommate's eyes are burning a hole through your head.” She chuckled and her eyes flicked down to his lips momentarily before focusing back on his eyes, his question from dinner still ringing in her ears.

“Might as well give him something to see, then.” He said breathlessly and Rey gulped as he began to lean in. He placed a hand on one of her cheeks, his thumb caressing her cheekbone. She closed her eyes in anticipation and let out a breath as she felt his soft lips press against her cheek. When he moved away, she looked up at him again, a blush now rising onto her cheeks. After another moment of now-stunned silence, Rey turned to move up the stairs.

She felt his eyes on her as she climbed to her front door and turned again to face him as her hand rested on her doorknob.

“Goodnight, Ben.” 

A sheepish smile played across his face, accompanied by a blush that Rey could see by the light of the streetlamps. Ben shoved his hands in his pockets again and she watched as he took in a deep breath that moved his entire upper body. 

“Goodnight, Rey.” 

She smiled to herself, forgetting for a moment that this was all fake and opened her front door, preparing herself for the round of twenty questions that she was about to endure with Finn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to take a moment at the end here to thank my wonderful beta ellie! Without her knowledge of fine dining and clothing descriptons, this chapter would have been chaos. I am not worthy <3


End file.
